Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 69 – NBA Blog

Kevin Love no lock to make All-Star team

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports:

This season, the Wolves have a player — Kevin Love — worthy of selection for the Feb. 20 game in Los Angeles, where Love played collegiately for UCLA.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Love, who is just 22 years old, leads the NBA with 39 double-doubles while averaging 15.6 rebounds and 21.4 points. His streak of 30 straight double-doubles is the league’s longest since Garnett’s 37 straight over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

It will be unjust if coaches don’t select him as a reserve next week for the Western Conference team.

But Love doesn’t sound confident of selection.

“It’s going to be really tough (to make it),” Love said following Monday night’s loss to Houston at Target Center. “But it would be a tremendous honor, being out there in L.A., where except for my immediate family I have basically all my family and friends.

“If I’m not chosen, I won’t be too bitter because wins come at a premium in this league and a lot of coaches look at that and want to choose guys on winning teams.”

The Wolves have just 10 victories in 44 games this season. Love speculates chances of his selection at less than 50-50.

T-Wolves get 5 Ts in 10 seconds in loss to Spurs

The AP reports:

Referee Ken Mauer certainly won’t be accused of being biased toward his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves anytime soon.

Mauer, a cousin of Twins superstar Joe Mauer and a St. Paul native, whistled the Wolves for five technical fouls in a dizzying 10 seconds of the third quarter, allowing the calm and collected San Antonio Spurs to take control of another head-scratchingly tight game between the best team in the NBA and one of the worst.

Manu Ginobili had 19 points, making all five of those technical free throws, and the Spurs beat the Timberwolves 107-96 on Tuesday night.

“I’ve never seen that before,” said Wolves forward Kevin Love, who picked up the final technical of the spree. “Five in a row, that had to be a first. That was crazy.”

Richard Jefferson scored 17 and Tony Parker had 12 points and 13 assists for the Spurs, who beat the Timberwolves for the 16th straight time. Ginobili also had nine rebounds and six assists.

Love had 20 points and 20 rebounds for the Timberwolves, his sixth 20-20 game of the season. Orlando’s Dwight Howard led the league with three 20-20 games all of last season.

Timberwolves waive Sundiata Gaines

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived guard Sundiata Gaines.

Gaines appeared in eight games for the Wolves this season, averaging 2.6 points in 8.1 minutes. He was originally signed by the Wolves as a free agent on Nov. 12, 2010.

Timberwolves recall Jonny Flynn from D-League

March 14, 2010: Jonny Flynn of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA. Ben Munn/CSM.

The Minnesota Timberwolves recalled second-year guard Jonny Flynn from the Sioux Falls Skyforce yesterday. Flynn appeared in one game for the Skyforce during his second stint in the D-League, dishing out 12 assists to go along with eight points and five rebounds in the Skyforce’s game against Tulsa Friday night.

Flynn, the sixth overall pick by Minnesota in last year’s draft, started each of the 81 games he appeared in as a rookie last season. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a rookie before missing the season finale with the hip injury that ultimately required offseason surgery. He finished his first NBA season ranked fifth among the league’s rookies in scoring (13.5 ppg), fourth in free-throw accuracy (82.6%), fifth in assists (4.4 apg) and seventh in steals (1.01 spg).

Per NBA rules, a first- or second-year player can be assigned to the team’s D-League affiliate a maximum of three times in a season.

Timberwolves send Jonny Flynn back to D-League

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the club has reassigned second-year guard Jonny Flynn to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Flynn will re-join the Skyforce following Thursday’s Wolves practice and is expected to play in both their Friday and Saturday night games against Tulsa.

Flynn was previously assigned to Sioux Falls on Dec. 1, where he tallied eight points, nine assists and two steals in 25 minutes of action during the Skyforce’s game against Iowa on Dec. 3. He was recalled to the Timberwolves the following day.

The sixth overall pick by Minnesota in last year’s draft, Flynn started each of the 81 games he appeared in as a rookie last season. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a rookie before missing the season finale with the hip injury that ultimately required offseason surgery. He finished his first NBA season ranked 5th among the league’s rookies in scoring (13.5 ppg), 4th in free-throw accuracy (82.6%), 5th in assists (4.4 apg) and 7th in steals (1.01 spg).

Flynn is yet to appear in a game for the Wolves this season after undergoing offseason surgery on his left hip on July 27. Per NBA rules, a first- or second-year player can be assigned to the team’s D-League affiliate a maximum of three times in a season.

InsideHoops.com editor says: This is a good tune-up to help Flynn prepare to actually help the Timberwolves.

Anthony Tolliver out 6-8 weeks with knee injury

Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via blog):

Tough break for Timberwolves backup forward Anthony Tolliver. He will miss the next 6-8 weeks to recover from a sprained medial collateral in his right knee. Tolliver, signed by the Wolves as a free agent in August, was hurt in Friday night’s game at San Antonio. An MRI exam Sunday revealed the extent of Tolliver’s injury.

The good thing for the 25 year-old Tolliver is that he won’t require surgery. This is the first significant injury in Tolliver’s scattered NBA career. It happens the first time he was able to earn a guaranteed contract after four years of bouncing around the league trying to find a home. The Wolves signed Tolliver to a two-year deal worth $4.6 million.

The Wolves will miss Tolliver’s energy. He has become the team’s best front-line defender off the bench. He’s averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists and shooting a respectable 43.8 percent from three-point range (14 of 32).

What’s your opinion? Share it in the Minnesota Timberwolves forum.

Timberwolves recall Jonny Flynn from D-League

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the club has recalled second-year guard Jonny Flynn from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Flynn appeared in one game for the Skyforce, tallying eight points, nine assists and two steals is 25 minutes of action.

Per NBA rules, a first- or second-year player can be assigned to the team’s D-League affiliate a maximum of three times in a season.

After heart attack, Jim Petersen back behind microphone

Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Timberwolves television broadcaster Jim Petersen returned to work Saturday night, three days after suffering a heart attack he said was nowhere near the “mild” one the team reported he had after Wednesday morning’s shootaround.

Petersen credits a telephone call to team physician Sheldon Burns with saving his life. Burns urged him to call paramedics immediately rather than wait for his wife to arrive home after he went from experiencing slight discomfort in his chest to a crushing pain in a matter of minutes.

Within 50 minutes after calling for help, Petersen rested in the hospital with a stent in his heart to open what he called a 100 percent blockage.

Mike Beasley scoring like crazy lately

The AP reports:

For a player who was labeled irresponsible in his first two seasons in Miami, Beasley is embracing his role as the go-to guy in his first season in Minnesota. He scored a career-high 42 points in a win over the Kings last week, followed that up with 35 in a win over the Knicks and is averaging 32.5 points over the last four games.

Beasley’s scoring binge has helped the Wolves go 2-2, showing a feistiness that wasn’t there early in the season — or for the last five years, really.

Beasley welcomed a baby boy into his family on the same day he hung 42 on the Kings and is quickly settling into his new surroundings after two so-so seasons to start his career.

“I feel at home,” Beasley said. “I definitely feel at home, on the court and off.”

Kevin Love gets 31 points, 31 rebounds in Wolves win over Knicks

The AP reports:

Kevin Love grabbed a franchise-record 31 rebounds and scored 31 points, the NBA’s first 30-30 game in 28 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 112-103 on Friday night.

“I just got a good mindset that every single one was mine,” said Love, who had 23 points and 24 rebounds in a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday.

Love grabbed 15 boards in the third quarter alone to will the Timberwolves to victory. Moses Malone was the last player to do it with 38 points and 32 rebounds for Houston against Seattle in 1982.

“It seemed like no matter what anybody did I was going to go and get those rebounds. I don’t know what to tell you,” Love said sheepishly. “I impressed myself. I don’t even know what to say to be honest with you.”

Beasley had 35 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who were carried to their second victory in a row by the two players who are being advertised as the building blocks of the latest rebuilding project.

InsideHoops.com editor says: What an amazing performance by Love. Who does he think he is, Moses Malone? Thanks to Kevin, I’m going out of my way to watch the next few Wolves games, and I’m sure tons of others will, too.